Keeper Of the Lost Cities: The Ships!
by BuddingWriter101
Summary: A collection of stories with all of your Keeper of the Lost Cities ships! Don't like a certain ship? You don't have to read it! Just skip to the ships you want to read!
1. A Keefoster Moment

**Hello people! I wrote a story about Sophie and Keefe! (I'm a Keefoster shipper). But of course, I plan on writing more about the other ships; Sodex, Sophitz, Tiana, Dinh (Okay, i have no idea what the actual Linh/Dex ship name is). So, please enjoy this one! BTW, the different chapters won't be one continuous story. They're all different.**

Stina walked coolly over to Sophie's table. She slammed her hand down in front of Sophie, and with a smirk, turned to her.

"I hear you brought a human into the Lost Cities. You've reached an all-time low. We don't want you here, or your dirty human sister either."

This was the breaking point. Sophie was tired of it all. Mr. Forkel was gone; her human parents were taken. Stina had no right to treat her like this now, and she wasn't going to let her.

She stood up, and got right into her face. "HOW DARE YOU. Do you know how much I've been through? How much has happened since I came here? My parents, the family that raised me for 13 years, has been taken by the Neverseen. I have no idea where they are or what's happening to them. Are you suggesting that I should have left my sister to fend for herself? Honestly, I dare you Stina. I dare you to leave someone you love on their own, to be taken by the Neverseen. Could you do it? Could you abandon them? Why don't you stop spending every waking moment judging what I do? Judging what I do in my times of crisis."

Stina looked shocked. She tried to open her mouth, but nothing came out. Sophie could feel the tears stinging her eyes. She fled the cafeteria and randomly ran through the halls. She finally collapsed onto a bench in a deserted hallway, pulled her knees up, and put her head down.

She forced back her tears and tried to reel in her feelings. _I can't let this break me_. _I can't let this break me._ She rocked back and forth, trying to calm herself down.

"Foster?" Sophie looked up to see Keefe coming toward her, a concerned frown on his face.

She sniffed. "What are you doing here?"

He sat on the bench next to her and smirked. "You are in _my_ ditching spot. Again. I should ask you the same thing."

She looked around. Familiar halls. Familiar bench. Drat. She was.

Sophie sucked in a breath. "I'm fine, Keefe. You should get back-" Keefe wrapped his arms around her in a hug, making her forget what she was about to say. Here, in Keefe's arms, she couldn't take it anymore. The tears came back, and this time she let it burst. She sobbed and sobbed, but Keefe held on.

"Shhhhh." He whispered. Sophie's eyes felt heavy, she hadn't slept in days. She heard Keefe whisper something else, but she was already going under.

Sophie was half conscience, just starting to come out of sleep.

"Hey Foster? Did you know you drool while you sleep?"

She jolted awake to find herself at the Foxfire's Healing Center, still in Keefe's arms, with Keefe himself grinning over her. Sure enough, there was a round wet spot on his shirt where her head had been moments before.

Elwin poked his head from around the corner of his office. "I can vouch for that."

"Aw, you just made her more embarrassed, Elwin!"

Sophie couldn't think straight. "I, uh, um, sorry. What are we doing _here_?"

"Well, I figured you didn't want anyone to catch you zonked out, snoring and drooling in the hall. So I brought you here."

She glared at him. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

"You obviously haven't slept in a while."

That was true. "But it was also an excuse to get out of class," she accused.

He shrugged. "Yeah, but I would've ditched anyway. Nothing can contain all this awesomeness."

Sophie rolled her eyes. Then she realized she was still in Keefe's lap. "Uh, so, I'm going to get back to class…"

"Nope, it just ended a little while ago. Your timing was perfect!" He made no move to get up.

"Um, so I guess I better go home. Edaline and Grady will be worried. And I've got to feed Iggy. And…"

Keefe put his hand over her mouth lightly and grinned his trouble-maker smile. "Shut up, Foster."

"Mm-k." she got out.

"Hey!" Elwin poked his head out again. "No funny business here! Move along Mr. Sencen! Miss. Foster!"

Sophie scrambled up. "Come on, Keefe."

"Fine, fine, I'm coming."

Sophie tried to hurry to the Leapmaster, but Keefe was right behind her.

"Hey! Where are you going so fast?"

She turned to him nervously and looked to the ground. "No one, uh, saw you carrying me, right?" She lifted her head and saw him smirk.

"No, I was careful. Sheesh. Besides, even if they had, they would have just thought you'd had another one of your little "near-death accidents." You have waaay to many of those for a normal person."

With a huff, she turned and started walking to the Leapmaster again. Keefe ran up to her, grabbed her arm, and called "Havenfield!" and they were whisked away.


	2. A Sophitz Moment

**Okay, so, you know I'm a Keefoster shipper (that's what Keefe calls it, in the book. I know it's Sokeefe, but I'm just used to Keefoster). But, anyway, this react was a lot of fun to write, so I don't think you Sophitz shippers will be disappointed. I wasn't really a fan of Sophie embarrassingly admitting she liked Fitz, so my version has a bit of twist to it. Hope you like it!**

Sophie sat miserably under the Panakes tree with her Ipod music on full blast. She leaned against the thick, beautiful trunk and sighed. She hadn't realized anyone had come up until she felt a slight tap on her shoulder.

She yanked out her earbuds and turned around. The culprit? A very gorgeous teal-eyed boy.

"Hey," Fitz said and sat down next to her. "I was talking to you for about 5 minutes until I realized you couldn't hear me at all."

She blushed. "Sorry, I just like it loud sometime."

"Yeah…" he scooted closer. "How are you doing? And obviously, you're not 'fine,' so don't even try it."

Sophie managed a slight smile. "It's just…a lot to cope with."

He frowned slightly and put his arm around her. "Don't worry. We'll get your parent's back. Just don't lose hope."

"I'm trying. But, do you think it was right to leave my sister in the Forbidden Cities? I just…can't stop worrying about it. She's all alone, her parents gone. Not to mention she remembers me now."

"I know. But if we brought a human here, everyone would be in an uproar."

Sophie jumped up angrily and threw her hands up in exasperation. "Yeah, yeah. I know! That whole stupid thing about no humans here. It's just not fair! I'm just sitting here doing nothing!"

Fitz stood up with a look of concern and grabbed her hands. "I promise, Sophie, we will do everything I can to help get them back. And I'm sure I speak for Biana, Keefe, Dex, Grady, Edaline, my parents, and everyone else who care so much about you. We just can't rush into everything, okay?"

She gazed into his eyes again, and now, especially, they reminded her a lot of Alden. Full of faith, you can't help but trust him. Fitz started leaning in, closing his eyes, and Sophie's heart starting racing furiously.

But she stopped, and looked around expectantly. It couldn't be this perfect for long.

"What are you looking for?" Fitz asked. Sophie turned back to him. He was frowning slightly with a little bit of sadness in his eyes.

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Keefe. You know he'll show up at the worst possible moment. He always does."

Fitz chuckled. "He usually does, doesn't he? You know, you still haven't told me that secret that you've been avoiding."

Sophie smiled slyly. "You're not getting anything out of me. Not that easy."

"But we're Cognates!" he whined.

She shook her head and laughed. "Then you'll have to trust me to tell you when I'm ready."

"Fine."

"Come on, let's go make Calla's stew. I'm hungry."

"What's new?"

"Shut up." She started walking down the hill, but Fitz grabbed her arm to stop her.

"You know, if you were only trying to make sure Keefe wasn't there, then-" He stopped abruptly, and put his lips on hers. She put her hands in his hair, and he wrapped his arm around her waist.

After a few magical, wonderful seconds, they broke apart. Fitz looked happily bewildered. "That was amazing."

Sophie just laughed. She leaned in close to his ear. "You wanna know the secret?" He nodded slightly. "Okay, get ready," and she kissed him again.


	3. A Sodex Moment

**A Sodex Moment**

 **Again, I had absolutely tons of fun writing this ship! Dex is so cute. I hope you Sodex shippers are not disappointed either. I know Dex doesn't get a lot of ships, a most of them (including some of my reacts) are of Sophie saying she only likes him as a friend. So here's one for the Sodex'ers!**

"Dex." Sophie said as she sat next to the cute and nerdy blond boy. They were at Slurps and Burps, in Dex's "lab." He was working on some new device, and was engrossed in a seemingly tangled mass of wires and metal. "DEX!"

He looked up abruptly and smiled apologetically. "Sorry, Sophie."

Sophie laughed. "It's okay. What are you working on?"

He grinned and picked it up to show her. "I'm trying to make my own Ipod! It's kind of slow going, but I think I can do it!"

Her eyes widened in amazement; Technopaths were seriously talented. "You really think you can?"

Nodding enthusiastically, he started going into a long description of what he had to do with the thig-a-ma-gig, and how he was going to make the what's-it-called. But Sophie just smiled; she was used to this kind of thing. Dex was, as he always had been, her best friend. Nothing would change that.

But, then, whenever she thought about that, she felt a little sad…but she didn't know why. She wanted to stay friends with Dex, forever, but, was that all she wanted? Dex had always been there for her. Sure, things got a bit rough at times, but there would always be a Sophie and Dex. She wondered if he felt the same way.

"Dex?" she said.

He stopped talking and looked at her. His periwinkle eyes were intense. "Yeah?"

"I-" but she stopped in confusion. What, exactly did she want to know? "Dex, are we… Will we always be… I don't know. You think we're going to be friends…forever?" She looked at him helplessly.

He frowned. "What do you mean? You think we'll stop being friends one day?"

"Well, no. Not exactly. I mean, I think we'll always be…um…I guess in each other's lives. But…I guess… never mind."

He took a deep breath. "Look, Sophie. There's been something I've been wanting to tell you for a long time now. I think that, maybe, I should probably tell you before I regret it later."

Her heart started racing. "What? What do you want to tell me?"

He opened his mouth, but then closed it again, his face bright red.

"It's okay. Please just tell me."

Dex took a deep breath, then spoke. "I've liked you for a long time. Basically, since I first met you. I'm not sure if I want to be just friends. I've always wanted to be something more."

Sophie's heart felt full of joy. She couldn't speak. Dex's face fell at her silence. "I guess I get why you might like Fitz better. Or Keefe. Or even Tam. They're all cool, and I'm just-" he gestured to the wires, "Dex."

Sophie shook her head in astonishment. "That's what I like about you Dex. Your _you_. I couldn't ask for, and I don't want, anything else."

He smiled triumphantly. "So, did I beat Wonderboy?"

Laughing, Sophie took his hand. "Yeah, you did. Shall we go get some mallowmelt to celebrate your glorious victory?"

"Nah. I can think of something way sweeter," he said, and leaned in close to kiss her.


	4. A Tiana Moment

A Tiana Moment

 **This turned out a lot differently that what I had originally thought of, but I think I did okay, at least. There isn't a kiss, and in all honesty, it probably isn't even that romantic. But I had fun, and it was interesting writing from Biana's perspective. Hope you like it! (P.S. If you haven't already, check out the Tam/Sophie ship story I wrote; "Unexpected Love – A Tophie Story" please do. I was going to do it as part of my "The Ships!" story, but realized I had a lot more I wanted to write about it. So there won't be a Tam/Sophie ship story here.)**

"Base quest. Two teams. Let's do this thing, people!" Keefe said and punched his fist in the air.

Biana loved base quest. It was so much fun, especially with all her friends; Sophie, Dex, Tam, Linh, her brother, and, of course, Keefe. If only he would pick her for his team.

"Um, I don't know if you've noticed," Dex said, "But there are 7 of us. How are we going to do two teams?"

Sophie sighed. "Dex has a point. I'll be referee, to make sure Keefe doesn't cheat."

"Hey! Come on, Team Foster-Keefe?" Why did he always choose Sophie? Biana had been the one to know him since they were little kids. She was the one who had played best quest with him hundreds of times before Sophie Foster came around. Why didn't he ever notice her?

Sophie shook her head. "No. Besides, it's not really fair if I play. I mean, I like to, but…"

"Yeah, yeah. We get it, Sophie," Fitz said grinning. "You're amazing. No need to rub it in."

"No! That's not what I mean!"

"Shame on you, Fitz." Keefe said. "Teasing her like that."

"I'm not even going to reply to that."

"You're the king of teasing Sophie," Dex put in.

"I can't deny that. In fact, I am honored. Bow down, common peasant!" Keefe put on a mockingly regal face and gestured to the ground in front of his feet.

Dex rolled his eyes. "I am not bowing to you."

"Fitz?"

Fitz shook his head. "If I did, it would only fuel you're already enormous ego."

"Pft. I'm the one with the big ego, Wonderboy? I think you should go look in a mirror."

Sophie rolled her eyes. "Would you guys knock it off?" All three boys immediately fell silent. It seemed like they always listened to her, like their whole world revolved around her. They honestly didn't even seem to realize they were doing it. Biana knew her brother had a crush on Sophie, and it was obvious Dex did too. But Keefe? Biana refused to believe it.

"Let's make this fast and simple." Linh moved to the middle of the group. "Keefe, Dex, and Fitz. Me, Tam, and Biana." Linh's eyes flitted to Tam's for a second, then continued. "Sophie can be referee, to give us all at least one chance at a fair win." She grinned humorously to Sophie, who smiled sheepishly back.

Sophie clapped her hands. "Okay, guys! I want a nice, clean game!" She looked pointedly at Keefe. "Abilities are allowed. If I catch anyone cheating, I will inflict them with so many positive emotions they will be giggling incoherently for an hour."

"Wow," Keefe said a moved back a step. "Foster; bringing out the dark side."

She shrugged. "Okay. On the count of three. One. Two. THREE!"

Each group started running in different directions. Linh grabbed Tam's hand, then Biana's, and took off.

"Linh!" Tam yelled at his sister. "Slow down!" She just smiled, and led them to a hill.

"This will be our base. You two guard, I'll try to tag the other team."

Tam frowned. "I'm not sure that's a very strategic move." Ling glared at him. "Fine. Whatever you say." She ran off, leaving Biana alone with Tam.

Biana was silently pouting, thinking of Keefe. Daydreaming was more like it.

"Biana?" Tam broke her out of her reverie.

"Hmm?"

"I was just wondering…" he trailed off, and Biana turned him. He was fidgeting with his cape, face a slight shade of pink. His eyes were to the ground.

"Yeah?"

He looked up at her with such a helpless and agonized expression, Biana was shocked for a moment. "You like Keefe a lot, don't you?"

"What?"

"You- you like Keefe? I guess, I've noticed the way you look at him, and I just wanted to make sure… It's just that, ever since I met you- well, what I mean is -when I first saw you, I thought-. UGH!" He threw his hands up in the air. "I'm getting nowhere! I like you a lot Biana. You're so pretty, and so strong. I think you deserve more than to be ignored by that smart-mouthed idiot."

For the first time, Biana looked at Tam. Truly looked at him, all the way through. The straight black hair with the silver bangs from his registry pendent. The thin curve to his face, now flushed in embarrassment. His beautiful, gray-blue eyes. And sure, she admired his looks, but she thought about how he had gone to Exillium, just for his sister. That was dedication. That was courage. Maybe Biana was going about this all wrong. But, what about Keefe? It had always been Keefe…

"Look, Biana," He said, before she could speak. "I don't want to make you choose. I just want you to know how I feel."

He had the courage to tell her, so Biana had to find the courage to answer. "Tam…I…can I think about it? For as long as…well, I've always liked Keefe, but…maybe…"

Tam smiled. "I'll always be here for you Biana. Always."

Just then, Linh came running up the hill. "I got them! I got them! We won, we won!"

"I'll remember that Tam," Biana said. She gave him a quick peck on the cheek before turning to run and cheer with Linh.


	5. A Keana Moment

**Okay, I don't hate writing this, but I am as far from a Keana fan as you can be. I just don't think they'd be good together. They're both so…vain? (in the best way) that they'd probably be in constant competition throughout their entire relationship. Anyway, I've been wondering, does anyone think I should write another Keefoster Moment? Because I'd like to write something a bit more like the rest of my ship stories. Tell me what you think! I always love reading reviews! Enjoy Keana!**

 **booksaremylife: First of all, books are my life too.** **J** **Second, glad you like them. It's a lot easier to read about romance than to write it, and I'm trying to make these at least cute.**

 **Gracekknight: Glad you liked them. Sophitz was probably my favorite, even though I'm a Keefoster shipper.**

 **Yourfriendlylocalbookworm: Thanks for the advice, and you are totally right! I'll try to find time to go back and change it. I'm glad you liked it overall, though.**

 **A Keana Moment (No. I am not calling it "Beefe." Wikia has no idea what it's talking about)**

"Oh. My. Gosh," Sophie groaned as she flopped onto Biana's bed. "If I have to hear one more description of Keefe in a swimsuit, I am going to vomit."

"But he was so hot!" Biana whined as she closed the door to her room. "I'm obsessed! HELP ME!"

"Look, Biana," Sophie said seriously, sitting up. "You've been crushing on Keefe for _years_. I think it's time to tell him how you feel."

Biana's face grew panicked. "But what if he doesn't feel the same way? Our friendship will totally be ruined!" She fell onto the bed next to Sophie and buried her face in her pillow.

"Look." Sophie pulled her up and grabbed her shoulders. "You need to tell him how you feel. If he doesn't feel the same way, then at least you'll know. Your friendship won't be ruined. It may be awkward for a while…" Biana glared at her. "But it won't be ruined. I say go for it!"

Biana pulled out of Sophie's grasp and went back to smooshing her face on the bed. "Buht how will I wit hiwm awone?" She sat up again. "I can't just say it in front of everybody."

"I don't know. Say you have to tell him something, but he can't tell anybody else. Keefe loves secrets."

"But then he'll just run off and tell everyone else!"

"Well, if he agrees to go out with you, then you'll probably want everyone to know. If he, uh, doesn't really feel that way…" Biana started staring murderously, so Sophie finished quickly. "He'll feel too embarrassed to tell everyone. Keefe's not that cruel. And if he is, I will hurt him. Badly."

"It's just…are you sure?" Biana felt totally confused and helpless. This boy stuff was so complicated! She was a Vacker, for darn's sake! It should be easy for her! But the one guy she liked, the only guy she ever wanted to date, barely noticed her presence.

"Fine, if you're not going to tell him, then maybe…I SHOULD!" Sophie jumped off the bed and bolted for the door.

"NO!" Biana ran after Sophie and tackled her before she could open it. They rolled around on the ground, laughing hysterically.

"What in the world are you girls doing in here?" Keefe pushed the door open. He was smirking and his hands were on his hips. Fitz and Dex filed into the room behind him. "My guess is that you're giggling about boys, but what do I know?"

"Let me guess…" Dex said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "Everything?"

Keefe winked. "Now you're understanding things, Techno-nerd."

Dex gritted his teeth. "Don't call me that!"

"Whatever."

Biana got up quickly and brushed invisible dirt off her skirt. Sophie stood up beside her. "It's none of your business."

"Pft. Everything is my business. How do you expect me to know it all?"

Sophie shook her head. "Your ego is so big you're in serious danger of exploding."

"Oh Foster, Foster, Foster."

"Look, we're busy, so you should go…" Biana said and started pushing the boys out the door."

"But we just got here! Ow!" Fitz cried after a particularly hard shove.

"Not so fast," Sophie said and pushed Biana lightly toward Keefe. "Biana?" She put her hands on her hips and raised her eyebrows.

"Oh fine!" Biana answered and turned to Keefe. "Keefe, I…" Her face grew hot. "I have to tell you something…"

"Ooooo! What do you want to tell me?"

"Can we go outside?"

He grinned. "A secret?" He started rubbing his hands together.

"Let's just go…" She grabbed onto his hand and dragged him outside.

"So, what did you want to tell me?"

Biana turned away and took a few deep breaths. This was it. After all these years…it was time to finally tell him. She took one last breath, spun around, and blurted out "I like you!" Keefe's face looked shocked. _I knew it._ She thought. _He doesn't like me!_ She took off running, tears streaming down her face.

"Biana! Wait!" She just kept on going, and didn't look back. She collapsed under a tree and started crying.

"Biana?" She could barely see the blond boy between tears. "Biana…did you really mean that?"

Her voice turned sour. "Yes. Why would I lie? It doesn't matter now. You don't care anyway."

"Why would you say that?"

"It's just…you have a crush on Sophie, don't you?"

"I…yeah."

"I thought so."

"It's just…"

"What?" Biana looked at him in confusion.

"I don't think she liked me. And well…"

Biana stood up and poked him harshly in the chest. "No way. I'm not going to be some last-resort option. I'm out of here!" She huffed and started back to the house.

"No, wait!" Keefe grabbed her arm. "Look, Biana. You're not a 'last-resort option.' I'm not going to say I've always had a crush on you…but I haven't _not_ noticed you." Biana looked at him hopefully. He looked into her eyes, pleading. "Just…do you think you could give me some time…to think?"

"Really?"

"I…yeah. Yeah, really. Maybe…maybe you and me could work."

"Oh Keefe!" She wrapped her arms around him in a giddy hug. He smiled.

"Alright, alright. Just give me a few days, and maybe…"

"You can take your time…just don't make me wait forever. Because I won't." She flipped her hair and turned back to the house, but before she went, she ran back and kissed him. "But just so you know, I like you a lot." She laughed at his stunned expression, and went to tell Sophie the good news.


	6. A Dexella Moment

Heh. Hi! Sorry I made you guys wait 19 days...I had actually wrote this story two weeks ago, but I wrote it on paper, and I lost the paper I wrote it on...but then I found it! So, without further ado, here is Dexella! (yeah, I'm not calling Della). Enjoy, and review! I'm pretty much out of ship ideas. I plan I doing another Keefoster ship, but that's about it. If there's any ship that you'd like to see, tell me! (answers to reviews are at the bottom)

Okay, sorry about the whole code thing. I think it should be fixed.

-Dexella

"Hey, Sophie!" Dex jogged up to the beautiful brown-eyed elf. She turned from her locker and smiled when she saw him coming.

"Hi, Dex!"

"So, what flavor is it today?" He asked, referring to the silver strip they had to lick to open their lockers.

She crinkled her nose. "It was Elwin's pick today. I have no idea what it is, but it tastes like dirt."

Dex laughed as he took a tiny lick. He scowled. "Wow, that's disgusting. It's times like these I really despise Elwin."

Sophie smiled again and punched his arm playfully. Dex loved it when she smiled. Her whole face lit up, and the gold in her eyes sparkled. She radiated happiness, and that's why, no matter what, he'd never abandon her. What Dex wouldn't give for the courage to tell her how he felt about her. But she deserved someone better. Even though he had manifested, he was still the son of a bad match. He'd have to carry that around forever. Cold he really drag Sophie, the super talented elf with five abilities, down with him?

But, oh! How beautiful she was. The spirt she had would never break. He knew she was faithful to the end. Maybe, maybe if he told her how he felt, she might even feel the same way...

He took a deep breath and began to speak. "Look, Sophie..." She turned to him, and cocked her head ever so slightly.

"Yeah?"

"I, uh..."

"Yo! Foster!"

"Sophie!"

Dex snapped his head and saw two annoyingly popular boys walk casually down the hall.

Sophie smiled and waved to them. "Hey Keefe! Hey Fitz!"

Dex sighed. Why? Why did those boys always have to ruin everything? Sure, they were friends, but why did they both have to so obviously have a crush on Sophie? Dex had been her friend first!

"So," Keefe put his arm on Sophie's shoulder. "Whatcha guys talking about? Probably me, right? I mean, I don't want to jump to conclusions, but you were totally talking about me right?" Sophie rolled her eyes but didn't remove Keefe's arm.

Ugh. Dex wanted to punch him so bad. "Nothing." His eyes flicked to each elf, then back at Keefe's arm. "Sophie, I'll see you later, okay?"

She frowned. "Wait, Dex..."

"See ya." He hastily turned around and hurried down the hall. Like he ever had a chance against Sencen and Wonderboy. He was the nerdy Technopath. And, ugh, he created that stupid ability restricting circulet for the Council. Sophie had forgiven him, but that didn't mean it didn't still haunt him...or her for that matter.

Dex was looking down and moving so fast, he didn't notice the small blonde elf in front of him until he crashed into her.

"Oof! You idiot!" Dex recognized that voice.

"Marella?" And sure enough, when he climbed off her, Marella was on the floor, glaring up at him. But then her face softened as she recognized him, and her icy-blue eyes lost some of their edge.

"Dex?"

Ignoring the stares from the other prodigies, he took her hand and lifted her to her feet. "I, uh, I'm really sorry," he sputtered. His face was on fire. "I, uh, wasn't looking where I was going."

She rolled her eyes. "Yeah, I sort of came to that conclusion when you barrelled into me. Your head in the clouds?"

"Something like that."

Marella studied him for a moment. "C'mere," she said finally. She pulled him to an empty hallway. She sighed and started fiddling with locks of her hair. "Look, Dex, I never got to thank you for what you said at that Exillium training thing. You really... helped me."

"Oh, um, it was no problem. I just... I just wanted you to know that people are here for you. Sophie included."

Marella raised her eyebrows. "Sophie?"

"Yeah, Sophie still feels guilty. She'd never pressure you, but maybe..."

She sighed. "I know. I just can't face her. I'm not ready. She's too good to be my friend. It was bad enough I used her to get that Mr. Forkel guy to trigger my ability." Marella had become an Empath, exactly what she wanted. Dex was happy for her, now she could finally help her mom. Dex was only beginning to understand, especially after their talk, how difficult that must have been for her.

"She'll welcome you back, I'm sure, when you're ready. I have a feeling that, if you really want to make up with her, she'll take anyone back with opened arms. She...she did for me."

Marella put her hands on her hips. "What are you doing Dex?"

He was taken aback. "What do you mean?"

She shook her head in pity. "I mean with you and Sophie. What are you doing?"

Dex looked away. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Her eyes narrowed. "Oh, I think you do."

"Why are we talking about this?"

"I'm starting to realize that being more open with yourself is better than keeping everything shut up inside. I'm obvously not perfect at it yet, but Im' working on it. I think it's time you finally face the facts."

"Facts?" He blurted. "You want to hear the facts? How about how I'm the nerdy boy? How keefe and Fitz are way better for Sophie? How I totally betrayed and humiliated her in front of every single elf in the Lost Cities? Those facts? Is that what you're talking about?"

"Dex, knock it off."

"Why? It's true, isn't it? You know that it's true!"

She put her hands on his shoulders and looked at him fiercely. "Sophies' not the only girl in the Lost Cities."

Dex mouth fell open a little. "What?"

"Sophie is not the only girl," she repeated, and looked at the ground. "You need to open your eyes. Ever since we talked, I've been... thinking about you."

"You-you have?"

"Maybe," she snapped, then sighed. "Yeah, I have. I was sorta, I just wanted to ask..." She shook her head. "But if you're still hung up on Sophie, then forget it."

She turned to leave but Dex grabbed her arm. "It's true, that I like Sophie, but..."

"What?"

"But I've been thinking about you too."

"Yeah?" He nodded. Marella turned around and started walking away, but stopped. Still looking ahead, she said "I'll give you a month. I'm not some pretty princess who will wait forever in a tower, but..." She looked back at him and smiled. Dex could see the beautiful fierceness in her eyes. "I think you might be worth it Dizznee." She moved on, back to the hall of prodigies.

Marella? Dex thought. Could I really like Marella? His crush on Sophie wouldn't magically disappear, but maybe Marella was right. Sophie wasn't the only girl out there. He smiled slightly to himself, and took his time getting to his next session.

Glittery-Icecream: Lol, pretty much sums up how I feel. Glad you liked it!

Trickster024: A lot more people dislike Keana then I thought they would, but that's okay, since I feel the same way. I was just trying to be fair to all the readers. Thanks"

TEAM SOPHIE: Wouldn't they have to? I mean, maybe they're not the same as human swimsuits, but I don't think they'd swim with regular clothes. And if Sophie has a pool-sized bathtub, then it's pretty likely elves like to swim too. And idk, there's tons of different ship names, so it honestly doesn't matter what you call them, as long as people know who your shipping, and if it sounds good to you.

lovelunalovegood: Well, that answers that question, huh? :) Thank you!

booksaremylife: Yes...thank you for that. And that's not sarcasm. I wanted to slap myself for that one. Please, if you notice any other mistakes like that, tell me.

TheSiliverPegasus: Thank you! If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them too!


	7. A Keefoster Moment: Part II

**A Keefoster Moment: Part II**

 **So, I decided, instead of doing a whole new Keefoster moment, I'd continue the old one! I'm going to try to make this the most lovie-dovie moment yet! Rephrasing: Totally pulling Keefe out of his comfort zone! As much as I love Keefe, who else here likes seeing the tables turned on him? I want to high-five Fitz and Dex every time they make some witty comment about him in the books. But then I also start laughing hysterically every time Keefe says something funny…Shannon is just really good with humor!**

 **Also, I have to talk about this (since no one I know has ever read KOTLC, and don't plan on doing so). Who else got totally excited at the end of Lodestar, where Fitz was just about to probably kiss Sophie and Keefe came barging in (which was good, for me at least. XD)? I'm talking about Fitz's whole scowl and how he said he had to "step up his game" while Keefe was gone! OMG, I just LOVE this kind of drama! I CAN'T WAIT FOR NOVEMBER! MORE KEEFE/FITZ/DEX DRAMA SHANNON! PLEASE!**

"Don't you have somewhere to be?" Sophie crossed her arms and glared at Keefe.

He looked unfazed as he put his hands in his pocket and winked. "I'm already there."

"Ugh." She turned away from him and started walking toward her house.

"Foster! Wait up!" She still didn't slow down, but Keefe easily caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "Sheesh, Foster. Calm down, okay? I'm only trying to cheer you up."

She gave him a thumbs up, but scowled. "You're doing a great job!"

"Well, you certainly don't make it easy."

"Just leave me alone."

He still held on to her arm. "If I let you go of by yourself, Gigantors' going to be mad."

Sophie couldn't help smiling. "I think he'll be more mad if I'm alone with you."

"What?" He faked surprise. "Are you kidding? Squeaky loves me!"

"One day 'Squeaky' might literally strangle you."

"Nah, he wouldn't do that, because then you'd be sad, right Foster? Imagine of I was gone."

She looked up to the sky and pretended to day-dream. "If only."

"You'd better stop, or else my feelings are going to be hurt," he pouted. Sophie sighed internally; he was only trying to help.

She checked to see if she was wearing her gloves before grabbing onto Keefe's hand. He could already feel her feelings without touching her. With her as an Enhancer, holding Keefe's hand without her gloves was about the equivalent of letting Fitz listen to all her thoughts. Basically, not something she wanted to give Keefe the satisfaction of doing.

"We both know your feelings are already hurt, so I'll just apologize. I'm sorry. Now come on, before Sandor gets here."

He grinned as she led them to the house and up to her room. Grady and Edaline were busy that day, doing something from the council. She and Keefe could talk in peace without Edaline grinning like they were the 'cutest thing' and Grady glaring at them like he wanted to put them on opposite sides of the planet.

They sat down silently on the carpet, Sophie looking down at her hands.

"You shouldn't listen to Stina, or anyone else who says things like that," Keefe said suddenly. Bringing your sister here was the right thing to do." Sophie lifted her head to look at him and was surprised to see how…sympathetic his face looked. There was no hint of the mischief that seemed to permanently rest in his eyes.

"You really think so?"

"I know you," he said, nudging closer. "You always make the right choice."

She snorted. "That's not true. I've made tons of dumb mistakes."

"Maybe…" he smiled slightly. "But you always have others' best interest at heart." He was sitting right next to her now, their arms pressed together, the light of the setting sun streaming through her window.

She dropped her head back down and fiddled with her charm bracelet, particularly the Mini Snuggles charm Fitz had given her. Keefe pulled her hand away and mumbled something unitligeble, but she caught the word 'Fitz.'

Sophie snapped up her head. "What?"

"Nothing. Nevermind."

"It wasn't 'nothing.'"

"It was."

"It wasn't."

"It was."

"JUST TELL ME!"

He lifted his hand to pull a lock of hair out of her face. "You're cute when you're annoyed, Foster." Her face went bright red and she looked away. "All I said, was that Fitz is not the only boy in the world."

"What do you mean?"

He opened his mouth but then changed his mind.

"What?"

"Well, what I mean is, I guess…"

"Just spit it out."

"You could have any one you wanted, you know? You don't have to follow Wonderboy around everywhere. I mean, there's still that drooly guy. I'm sure he still has a crush on you."

"Hilarious."

"And well, I mean, Wonderboy's looks are nothing compared to mine…"

Sophie srunched her eyebrows in confusion. "Wait, Keefe…"

He bolted up and started pacing the length of her room. "I should have told you a long time ago Sophie. But I guess I thought maybe you would get it, or I would be content being your friend for this long…" He turned to her fiercely. "When I call you cute, I'm not teasing. When I call you fearless, I'm not teasing. When I say you could win over the heart of any guy in Foxfire, _I am not teasing_. You won me over a long time ago, Sophie. I care about you so much…and I don't ever want to let anything hurt you…and… and…"

Sophie's heart was beating fast, faster than she ever thought it could. She loved all her friends; Dex, Biana, Fitz, and Keefe. But Keefe…he had opened to her. They were always there for each other. He had made that promise to Mr. Forkel…

He came over and gently tugged off her gloves. Sophie made no move to stop him. He held both her hands and their eyes locked. He gazed at her amazed. "Really?" She nodded slightly.

Slowly, hesitantly, Keefe lifted his arm and wrapped it around her, pulling her closer to him. Closer, closer, closer still, until they were kissing. Sophie's heart melted, and she pressed in harder.

They both broke away, gasping.

"I love you, Foster." Keefe whispered.

"I love you too, Keefe."

"Wonderboy is going to be so made."

"Doesn't matter," Sophie answered. "He never had a real chance anyway; he was just my first crush."

"And Technonerd, and Grady…"

"You're right. We should run away."

"Not a chance. I'm the rebel, not you. You can't run away."

"Fine, just kiss me again, then. Since you're so rebellious, you shouldn't have a problem."

He grinned, and they had their second kiss out of many more to come.

 **Well, hope you liked it. Tried to make it as cute as possible. I hope I succeeded, but I'm not sure. Anyway, this is my last official ship moment, and I'm marking the story as completed. But, if you guys want to see any other ships, or you really really really want me to do a continuation of one, then I might add to it. I've got a few other new story ideas that I'm just dying to get started on! But, you should check out my "Keeper of the Lost Cities: Unexpected Love – A Tophie Story," if you haven't already. I'm still updating that one. I have "MY KOTLC REACTS!" too.**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Lovelunalovegood** **: Yeah, sorry about that! I'm happy you liked them!**

 **booksaremylife** **: Lol, same. But now I ship them 100%, mostly because I ship Linh with Fitz, and that leaves out Dex, since I'm a Keefoster shipper, but I think they'd be cute. Not any in mind right now, but I'll take suggestions, if you have any. :)**


	8. A Litz Moment

**Guess whaaaaat! I'M BRINGING BACK THE SHIPS! I decided to start with Litz (Linh and Fitz) since I forgot to do it. I have a few more other interesting ships I want to do, then the rest will probably be sequels to previous moments and random fluff. I also have a new idea, but I'm not sure if i'm gonna put it in this story, or start a new story for it..hmm...**

 **Hope you enjoy this chapter! And it's written from Fitz's point of view. Ooooo! I just got another idea. How about Sofitz, Sokeefe, and Sodex chapters, but from the boys' point of view?**

-A Litz Moment

"So..." Fitz said awkwardly.

"Yeah..." Linh trailed, her eyes on anything besides Fitz.

Fitz had prepared himself for tense moments with Tam, not with Linh. Tam was, after all, dating Biana. And to be completely honest, Fitz still didn't fully trust him. A Shade who had been Exiled? Maybe he did do it for Linh, but he still gave off some bad vibes that Fitz couldn't shake off. But when he tried to talk to Biana, and warn her not to rush things with Tam, she nearly bit his head of. So Fitz decided to just keep his thoughts to himself and get through it without angering his sister.

But then earlier Tam knocked on the door of Everglen, with Linh right behind him. Biana had invited Tam over, and Linh apparently didn't want to stay at home alone. Within a few minutes, Biana and Tam snuck off to do who knows what, and Fitz and Linh were left alone in the living room.

Fitz had no idea what to say to her. Believe it or not, he had always had trouble dealing with girls. They always weird around him. They couldn't look him in the eye and got all nervous. Was there something wrong with him? He mentioned this to Biana once, who was one of the two females (the other being Sophie) that he could talk to normally. But all she had done was snort, say "you are so oblivious," and then refuse to talk to him anymore.

"So your brother is dating my sister..." _Yeah, Fitz_ , he mentally scolded himself, _way_ _to_ _state_ _the_ _obvious_.

Linh smirked. "I knew it was going to happen sooner later."

He frowned. "Really?"

She looked at him in disbelief. "Uh, _yeah_. Don't tell me you didn't notice how they acted around each other. It was so cute!"

Fitz shook his head slowly. "I guess I didn't. I mean, are you sure?"

She nodded. "What about Keefe and Sophie? All that back-and-forth teasing and playful arguing. You hyad to have picked up on that." He fidgeted a little and Linh laughed. "I don't mean to offend you, but you're a little oblivious."

Scowling, he crossed his arms. "It's not like they ever said anything."

"But it wasn't that hard to tell. You have to notice the little signs."

"I guess I'm just not good with that," he grumbled.

"You better start practicing, then," Linh said. "Otherwise you'll never know if a girl likes _you_." She blushed and looked away.

Fitz snorted. "I don't think any girls like me."

Her head snapped back to him and her eyes narrowed. "Do you even have your eyes open when you go to Foxfire?"

"Huh?"

She threw her hands up in the air. "Half the girls there have a crush on you!" Then she grumbled, more to herself, "But probably even more now that Keefe is dating Sophie."

"But...nobody's ever said..."

"FITZ!" He jumped at her outburst. He could have sworn he could see water droplets in the air. "Seriously, you have a sister! You should know that it's hard for girls to confess their feelings. You have to pay attention!"

"But why would anyone like me?"

"Well, um, I guess, I don't know. I bet a lot of them just like you because, well, for your looks, but there's so much more to you then that."

"Do you speak from experience?" he said softly.

"W-what?" Her face had gone completely red now.

"Well..." Fitz scratched the back of his neck in embarrassment. "You're very...pretty, and i just thought maybe a lot of guys only see you for that."

"Well, no... they mostly see me as that girl who destroyed Atlantis."

"That wasn't your fault," he said and rolled his eyes.

"Well, a lot of people blame me for it anyway. I did lose control."

"But you're stronger now. I've seen your powers, they're amazing. You should be proud."

They're eyes locked. After a few seconds, Linh looked away once again. "You know," she said quietly, and laughed with humor, "You really are oblivious." She wiped her face with her hands, and it was then that Fitz realized she had started to cry.

"Linh..." His heart wrenched; he'd made her _cry_. And then out of nowhere, she turned on her heels and ran out the door. Fitz bolted after her. He grabbed her arm, spun her around, and kissed her.

She leaned in to the kiss, and Fitz wrapped his arms around her. She broke away. "Fitz..."

"I...I was hoping it might make you stop crying."

She smiled. "It worked. Don't take so long next time."

"Not a problem." And he held on to her tighter as they kissed again.

 **dear universe: Ikr? Keefoster forever! Thanks for reading!**

 **keefster: I hope you've been satisfied. :) Thank you!**

 **Team-Foster-Keefe1: IKR! He's just awesome all around. Thanks for reading!**

 **TheGreatSophieVacker: Sorry it makes you sad. I'll post another Sophitz eventually. :) Oh, darn, really? I'm always making dumb spelling mistakes. Thanks for reading anyway!**

 **Criptopod: Sorry I made you wait so long! I hope you enjoyed!**

 **OwlMoon: Aw, thank you! There will be more Keefoster. Most of my fluff will probably be that ship. Thanks for reading!**


	9. A Keefoster Moment 2: Part I

**Heeeey! I am finally back with another ship. So, because I needed some Keefoster, here's a story for them! But it is not a continuation of the new one. It is a completely random one that I wrote last night when I was probably half asleep. XD It is edited though. I don't think I'm going to write a sequal, but I said "Part I" just in case. If there's anything else you'd like to see, please review! ENJOY!**

 **-A Keefoster Moment 2: Part I**

It was silent that warm summer night. Not a sound could be heard, besides the cool wind rustling through the trees. But it was peaceful; the darkness wasn't menacing, it was serene. It was the kind of beautiful darkness that could lull you to sleep. It was the sort of night that lovers dream of; a night where you can just sit back and look at the bright silver stars shining up in the sky.

It just so happened that on that silent night, Keefe and Sophie stood on the doorstep of Havenfield. Quiet. Staring.

"You didn't have to come all the way here, you know," Sophie whispered. She wanted to leave. She couldn't handle this anymore. She needed to get out of here now.

"I know," was all Keefe said.

"Thanks for bringing me home."

He only nodded.

"Well then, I better head in." With warm cheeks, she turned around and reached for the door handle.

"Wait," Keefe commanded softly. It was almost desperate, pleading.

"Yes?" Sophie asked, but she couldn't bear to look at him again. He was there. He'd seen everything. Everything Fitz had said...

And Sophie knew she deserved every word.

"Look at me, Sophie." Hesitantly, she faced him, almost gasping when her eyes locked with intense icy-blue ones. Those weren't Keefe eyes.

But no. That was wrong. They _were_ Keefe eyes. This was Keefe, at his most vulnerable and pure.

"I love you," he said simply. Nothing. No strings attached. Just three words, crystalline as water. Sophie's breath caught in her throat.

"Keefe." Her voice felt ragged. She couldn't do this, but she couldn't run away. He deserved so much more than she could ever give him. "I can't."

"Why not?" he whispered softly.

Sophie hung her head. "I just...I can't."

"Is it because you think you're not good enough?"

She stayed silent.

He chuckled. "Oh, Foster." He took a step forward, then reached out a hand to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear. "If anything, I'm not good enough for you. But I love you. I'm willing to give you everything." His hand lingered near her face.

Sophie pushed him away, on the verge of tears. "No, you can't. I-I'm still..." she struggled with the words in her throat. "I'm still hung up on Fitz. I-it wouldn't be fair. Not to you. I can't let you say those things. All this time, I've been playing with everyone's feelings. Fitz was right."

"Sophie..." she refused to look at him again. "Sophie." He grabbed her chin gently, but firmly, and made her look at him. She couldn't stop the wet liquid from seeping from her eyes and streaming down her face. "It's okay to cry. He broke your heart. He doesn't deserve you."

"Then why does it still hurt?" she cried. She pushed him away, harder this time. "And I can't hurt you, Keefe. I don't want to. Fitz was right."

He took her wrist before she could run away. In one fluid motion, he pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her. Then he sat on the steps and cradled her while she wept. She buried her face in his wide, warm chest.

"Why Keefe? Why are you doing this?" she sobbed.

"I'm not going to leave you alone."

"But you'll only get hurt!"

"I'm not letting you go."

"I'm not worth the heartache."

"Damnit, Sophie. I love you. Nothing is going to change that. You could rip my heart out of my chest and stomp on it. I wouldn't care. You could shove me into a pile of alicorn poop. You could suffocate me with Iggy farts." He kissed the top of her head. She could feel him smiling. "You are worth it. Fitz can shove it up his-"

"Language," Sophie half-heartedly murmured in to his chest.

His body shook with low, quiet laughter.

After a moment of silence, Keefe spoke again. His voice was deep and rough. "I'm not asking you for an answer. I'm just telling you. _I'll be here_, Sophie. I'll always be here for you. Whatever you need, whenever you need it. And maybe someday, when you've got some of the things in your heart sorted out, maybe we could find out where..._this_ might go."

"This..." Sophie whispered. "I don't even understand what this is."

"I think you can feel it."

And Sophie could.

Gradually, Keefe's hand slipped beneath her chin, and lifted her head up. Sophie was lost in the blue. The blue of a cold sea. But there was warmth there too, a sparkle. The Keefe sparkle. The light inside Keefe that would never die. She was so caught in the stare, she hadn't noticed his lips slowly advancing nearer until they were already on hers.

They were soft. Softer than Sophie had ever imagined. Wonderfully lovely. She was already gone. As Sophie returned the kiss, Keefe came down harder, pulling her even tighter against him. Sophie pulled her arms out of his grasp and tangled her fingers in his blonde hair. She smiled against Keefe's mouth. She always enjoyed messing up his hair. This time, though, Keefe didn't seem to mind.

Sophie broke away, gasping for breath. Keefe leaned forward and put his forehead on Sophie's.

"I love you, Sophie. I'll keep on saying it, even if you get tired of it. I'll keep on saying it, when I know you need it the most. I love you."

"Keefe," Sophie panted. She didn't know what else to say. What else could she say? "Keefe, I..."

And then his warm lips were on hers again, silencing her. After a few seconds, Keefe gave her a chance to breathe again. "You don't have to say anything, Foster. Like I said, I don't expect an answer, and I won't rush you. When you're ready, I'll be here." He stood up, pulling Sophie along with him. He gave her a hug, before pushing her gently toward the door. "Good night." He gave her one more fluttery kiss on the forehead before turning to leave.

Sophie caught his tunic in her hand. With her eyes cast to the ground, she pleaded "Don't go." A few more tears splattered to the ground.

Keefe didn't say anything. He simply scooped her up in his arms and began to walk away from the house. Sophie didn't ask where they were going.

He clutched Sophie to his chest with strong, muscled arms, and carred her for a few minutes, then stopped, and set her gently on the ground. They sat there, next to each other, leaning against the spiraled trunk of the Panakes tree. The stars seemed to be weaving in and out of the swaying pink blossoms.

"Whatever you need, Sophie," he murmured in her ear. Sophie shivered, and it wasn't because of the cold.

She leaned up against him, then climbed in to his lap. Keefe wrapped his arms around her again.

The last thing Sophie heard, as she drifted off in to lovely sleep, was a beautiful "I love you," whispered to the wind.

"I love you, Keefe," she answered sleepily back, and then her eyes fluttered closed.


	10. A Keefoster Moment 3 (Rated T)

Not a continuation of the previous one.

 **NOTE: This chapter IS RATED T! If you are one of younger readers, I'm not really sure if this is the right chapter for you. No language, but some implied themes, and is a bit more of an intense romantic scene (i don't go all the way though) It may be slightly inappropriate for some of you. And if you do read it, and you don't understand some...things...don't ask me about it. I'm not gonna explain. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!**

 **Other than that, I hope you enjoy this story. I know, I know. More Keefoster. I needed some, okay? I've been sitting on this story for a while (trying to decide if I should implement it into my Love Plus One story maybe) but decided against it. I'm going to try and do other ships…scream at me if you want them. I need motivation.**

* * *

 ** _AGAIN, THIS CHAPTER IS RATED T!_**

"I don't know why you won't admit how hot I am!"

Sophie stamped her foot in frustration. "Because you already think you know everything, you stupid Empath!"

"But I just want to hear it coming out of your cute little mouth, Foster!"  
"No way! Your ego needs a few holes poked into it, anyway!"

He leaned down to meet her face, giving her a close up view of his annoyingly-pretty ice-blue eyes. A mysterious smirk spread across his lips, the one that made it hard for Sophie to think straight. "The only one who's going to be doing the hole poking is me."

Ugh! Gross! Moment officially ruined! Sophie covered her ears and spun away from him. She was tired of arguing with Keefe. He was such an egotistical idiot. "That is disgusting, you sick weirdo."

"I have no idea what you're talking about. I think you're the dirty-minded one here." One of his arms reached out from behind her and circled her waist, effectively stopping her and pulling her back a few steps. He whispered into her ear, his breath blowing softly across her neck. "And don't think you're getting away that easy." The stupid tingles even seemed to reach her toes.

She shook her head and pulled from his grasp. "Stop messing around. Why did you come anyway?" Grady and Edaline had gone to a fancy party, at Candleshade in fact. She supposed Lord Cassius was trying to convince everyone that he was not associated with the Neverseen, and was still a good man. Her parents had been reluctant to leave her, but after her urging that they should "go have some fun too," they agreed. Sophie had been enjoying her solitude at Havenfield, until Keefe had barged through the door. He was lucky she didn't mistakenly inflict on him.

He reluctantly let her go. "Did you really think I was going to get roped into playing waiter? I was planning to escape to Everglen, but when I saw Grady and Edaline show up, I changed my plans."

She crossed her arms and looked away, her face burning. "Well, I didn't mean to mess up your time with Fitz."

He waved off her comment. "Oh please. I would have much rather hung out with you too begin with. And I know you always want me around, right?" He wiggled his eyebrows, and Sophie rolled her eyes in annoyance. Why did he have to look so cute when he did that? "Besides, I wasn't about to let you mope around at home by yourself."

"Humph. I wasn't moping. I was enjoying the peace."

"Peace and quiet are overrated," he scoffed.

"You would say that, Mr. Risk-Taker."

"If I'm Mr. Risk-Taker, then you're Miss. Risk-Taker."

"No way!" she disagreed. "I come up with plans!"

"Riiight. Because-" he raised his voice abnormally high to do that idiotic imitation of her. "'Let's fly across the ocean on an alicorn to a creepy island where I get drugged and then injected with limbium, which I happen to be allergic to, by your icky old neighbor!' is a great plan."

"I really wish you guys would stop getting hung up on that," she grumbled in response.

"Just that? Seriously, Foster, you're always doing things that almost get you killed."

"So do you!" she argued. "I mean, that whole fight with King Dimitar? That was horrible." She shivered, remembering his blood-soaked wounds.

He reached out, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair. His fingers lingered around her face, settling on studying one of the necklaces around her neck; the beaded one he had given her. "But your life is more important, Foster. I don't know what I -we- would do if you were gone."

She grabbed onto his hand, holding it between them. "When will you understand that you mean just as much to all of us?"

His smirk faltered. Sophie could almost see a few of his walls crack at her words. Keefe took his other hand and slowly traced her cheek under her eye. "They're so beautiful…" he whispered.

"Keefe," she breathed as his finger moved down her cheek, past her nose, and brushed the edge of her lips.

He slowly started to walk forward, causing her to instinctively take a step back. They did this, until something from behind Sophie tripped her, and she fell onto a soft sofa. With their hands still linked, she accidently took Keefe with her.

In the racing moments that they were falling together, Keefe's hand had cupped the side of her face, and the other had shaken loose from her grasp and landed on the cushion besides her. His lips crashed hungrily into hers.

She broke away quickly, staring into his gorgeously intent eyes. Her face burned, but she made no move to get out from under him. "Keefe," she said again. What was this? What was he doing? Why did he kiss her? It must have been an accident.

Keefe smiled from above her. "Shush, Foster. Just stop whatever you're thinking."

His hand grasped her waist again, pulling her close, bringing their lips together again.

Keefe POV

Keefe had complete control of his body. He knew what he was doing. He was kissing Sophie Foster, and God damn had he wanted to do it for a while.

She tasted so sweet. She should; Keefe had seen the mallowmelt crumb-covered plate on the tabled. He also smelled her chocolate breath. It was just one of the many driving factors that convinced him to kiss the blonde girl he had beneath him now.

She looked up at him with her big brown eyes, the golden sparkles catching every stray beam of light in the room.

He could feel her desire mix with his own, fueling the hungry fire deep within his stomach. He bent down, kissing her with possibly too-strong-of a force. But he needed this. Who knew if he would ever get to do it again? If he was going to kiss Foster, if he was going to give this amazing girl his first kiss, he was going to make sure she would always remember it.

He broke from her lips, smirking at her desperate attempts to force air back into her lungs. But Keefe wasn't finished. He inched forward, tantalizingly slow, and pressed his mouth against her neck. Her skin tasted as sweet as her lips. Foster gasped at the contact, only fueling Keefe to move down further, leaving his trail of kisses, letting each one soak into her skin before going on.

The hand around her waist cautiously slipped under the hem of her shirt, spreading out and feeling the soft curves on her side. A rugged moan sounded in his throat when her lean little fingers tangled in his hair, tugging apart the jelled strands. Her other hand explored the ridges of his back and stomach. Keefe shivered at her touch, one that was usually so gentle, but now had a delicious roughness to it.

Only when his hands went up a little higher, and hers went down a little lower, did he realize that they might have been taking things too far.

"Sophie," he whimpered, still caught up in kisses.

"Mmm?" she mumbled back, her eyes half-closed.

"We can't," he breathed across her neck.

Her fingers spread across his shoulder, then gripped, and in a second they were flipped over, with Sophie straddling him.

She was grinning, as she leaned down, getting closer and closer to his lips. Keefe closed his eyes.

"You're right," she whispered lowly against his mouth, then pulled away.

"Well you can't just go and do that," Keefe grumbled, grabbing back onto her waist as she tried to get up.

She laughed on the way back down and settled comfortably against his chest. Then she twisted her head to look up at him. "Why don't we just do what I wanted to do in the first place?"

Keefe raised an eyebrow. "And what's that?"

"Enjoy the peace."

"Hm." He reached over and turned out the lamp, plunging the living room into soft darkness. Then he buried his face into her soft hair and pulled her close. Gosh did she smell so yummy. "Maybe peace isn't so overrated after all."


	11. A Teefe Moment

**Yeah, okay. I know. Teefe. Who was expecting Teefe? But I've been stumping over a Lex ship for the longest time (which is why I've been defaulting to Keefoster), and people have asked for some LGBTQ... so this happened. In case you don't know, Teefe is Tam/Keefe. What? It's entirely plausible!**

 **Also, just to spread the word, I have co-created a "Best of Keefoster" Community with Cressida123. If you have a good Keefoster story, either one that you've read or that you've written, PM one of us or comment on one of our stories! We'll check it out and hopefully add it! You can search "Best of Keefoster" (Just make sure you change the "Story" next to the search bar to "Community") or you can find it on either of our profiles.**

 **Anyway, tell me if I did it right. Like...I have never written LGBTQ before, and I don't want to offend anyone. I'm trying to make it as realistic as possible, but considering it's a fast-pace one shot, it might not go as well as I'm hoping.**

 **-Teefe**

"I'm sorry, Tam."

Tam's eyes slipped to the ground. He thrust his hands in his pockets. He could already feel himself start to seal away, just like he always did when his heart was on the verge of breaking. He'd fallen in a deep hole during those awful years of his childhood, deeper than he ever let on to Linh. Despite what everyone might think, he just wasn't able to properly cope with pain.

And seeing Biana's hand intertwined with Dex's hurt more than he'd ever thought it could.

He thought he had prepared himself for this, or something like this. He'd watched it happen to Sophie, with Fitz, and he'd been torn between wanting to comfort her or supporting his sister in her new relationship. Honestly, he thought both girls could do better than "perfect" Wonderboy, but that wasn't the point. Fitz had been snatched away before Sophie had the time to confess, and Tam had seen it all.

So why didn't he learn from that?

He just hadn't thought Biana and Dex would be together so...suddenly. It seemed like it just popped out of nowhere. Then again, this kind of thing couldn't just happen over night. The way Biana and Dex unconsciously leaned toward one another, their matching expressions. The hands clasped so tight Tam wondered if it hurt.

Or just what it felt like.

These weren't feelings that simply sprung up for his own inconvenience. There would be no petty fights between he and Dex for the girl with an indecisive ending. They were together, truly, and Tam couldn't break that up, even if he wanted to.

"I get it," he finally answered, giving her a small smile. "I just wanted to tell you so I could, you know, move on." Tam doubted he could "move on," but the less Biana knew the better. He'd been hanging around Atlantis, trying to avoid the rest of his friends-specifically them-and he'd happened to run into the couple. He'd reasoned that getting it off his chest might make it better. So far, his chest just ached more than before. "You look happy."

"Thanks." She smiled, a true, blissful smile. Tam tried to remember he shouldn't swoon. Couldn't.

He winked at Dex. "Nice job." He laughed when Dex blushed, then lapsed into a painful smile when Biana kissed Dex on the cheek and he blushed all the way to his ears.

 _You don't care. You don't care. You don't care._

"Well, I better go. See you guys later!" And then he turned around. First he was walking calmly, hands still buried in the pockets of his trousers. When he turned a corner, he he was running. Sprinting. He had to get away. And he just couldn't do it fast enough.

 _I will not cry._

Sophie had found someone new, someone she seemed to love even more than Fitz. A nice guy from school; Tam had met him a few times. He was all smily and cute and nice, with dark brown hair and eyes so pale blue they were almost clear. Tam could see why Sophie was attracted to him. Maybe that meant Tam would find someone else too.

He scoffed. _Yeah right_.

Tam didn't just hand out his heart. His default was always suspicion. Isn't that how it should be? Trust must be earned, over time. He'd also never been one to have a large group of friends; being a part of the gang just sort of...happened. He didn't even talk to anyone else at school.

Lost in his brooding, he hadn't realized he was in someone's path until he'd already rammed into a large chest. Suppressing a groan, he lifted his head up to meet the chin of a figure who was (annoyingly) taller than him. And he'd know that sharp jawline anywhere; how could he not when he was constantly at eye level with it?

"Keefe," he deadpanned, swallowing the bile that began to clog his throat as he realized he would have to apologize to this eyebrow-raising idiot for running into him.

"Tam," Keefe mocked, taking a step back and crossing his arms, obviously waiting for said apology.

Tam took a deep breath. Of all the people to cross paths with, it had to be _Keefe_. Maybe he should just thank his luck that he hadn't started crying yet. Though judging by the pressure continuing to build behind his eyes, he wasn't totally out of the clear. "Sorry," he finally forced, and practically seethed when Keefe smirked with satisfaction. He took it back; his tears were evaporating the longer he talked to this blonde-brained moron.

"It's fine. Funny running into you here." A pause. "Pun intended."

"It's less funny when you point out your puns," Tam said, rolling his eyes. "Not that it was funny to begin with."

"I'm always funny," Keefe countered. "And when I'm not, I'm beautifully amazing. I mean, have you ever met someone so perfect?"

His face might have been "perfect," but his personality most certainly wasn't.

Tam sighed and tried to push past him. "Whatever. See ya." _Or not_ , he muttered under his breath.

"Whoa, whoa. Not so fast." Keefe stepped in his way, causing Tam to yet again run into his chest. He growled lowly and rubbed his head.

"What?" Tam snapped, getting fed up with this. He just wanted to go home.

"There's something wrong."

"Yeah, I'm talking to you."

Keefe ignored him. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Tam attempted to get away again, but Keefe simply blocked him. He looked around, eyeing the passerby suspiciously, before pulling Tam (against his will) into an alleyway, out of sight.

Then he cocked his head and continued. "There's obviously something."

Tam tried to leave, but Keefe just stepped in his way again. He couldn't just leave him _alone_.

"Why do you give a crap anyway?" Tam spat, shoving his hands angrily into Keefe's chest. "You never have before."

Keefe pursed his lips, unfazed by Tam's outburst. "In case you were wondering-"

"I wasn't."

He carried on like Tam hadn't said anything. "I came here to get away from Foster and her new _boyfriend_." He said boyfriend quite bitterly, and Tam's eyes widened in slight realization. He shook it away, however, simply wanting to be done with this.

"So?"

"So I recognize that look on your face, and I figure it has something to do with Biana and Dex."

"You got all that from looking at me?"

He averted his eyes and rubbed a hand through his perfectly styled hair. Tam was almost jealous; he wished he could make his hair look that good. "And I also kind of got a reading on you when you bumped into me." Tam's eyes flashed. "But it was accidental."

"Oh?" Tam shifted his weight onto one foot and crossed his arms. "So tell me: what am I feeling?"

Keefe continued to look anywhere but at Tam. "A lot of jealousy...and a lot of pain." Tam grew silent. "Look...I just-"

Tam held up a hand. "What are you going to say anyway, Keefe? That it will get better? That I'll get over it? Sure. Maybe you should take your own advice. Sophie's been with Raxon for months and you're still out here wandering Atlantis, trying to avoid her. So don't tell me-"

Keefe grabbed Tam's wrist and pulled him closer. _What the heck_?

Tam turned his face at the last second, letting a kiss that was obviously meant for his lips - _WHY THE HECK WAS KEEFE TRYING TO KISS HIM?!_ \- settle on his cheek.

Spots of red bloomed across each of Keefe's cheeks. He lightly covered his mouth with the back of his hand and looked awkwardly to the side. Something in Tam's chest contracted.

"W-what?" Tam could barely get a single word out, too shocked to think coherently. "You like Sophie. And I'm _Tam_. And you just..."

Keefe nodded. "I like Sophie."

"But-"

"But I don't think that's all I like. And I just wanted to try..."

" _Try_?"

"Well..."

Tam's confusion began to instantly clear, replaced instead with anger. "Oh, you thought you would try? Try and mess with me? When I've got tons of other things going on? You just thought you'd _try_?"

Regret refused to seep into Keefe's eyes; all Tam could see was heartfelt honesty mixed with embarrassment. "It's hard to just _know_ , Tam. I've never," he swallowed, "felt like this before. It's _different_ then how I feel for Sophie, or how I feel for other girls. I don't know if it's better, or worse, it's just _different_."

Tam raised a skeptical eyebrow. "And for me? You only feel this way toward me? Because I find that hard to believe." Keefe coughed nervously, and Tam's eyes dawned with realization. "Fitz?" Keefe continued to rub the back of his head.

Tam couldn't help it; he chuckled. Keefe shot him an irritated glare.

"But why now?"

Keefe sighed. "With everything that's happened- to Sophie, to you, to me- I figured...maybe it's time some of us start being honest about our feelings." His head stayed tilted toward the ground, but his eyes lifted up to meet Tam's, expecting a reply.

"I don't know what I'm feeling," Tam mumbled, brushing a hand lightly across the cheek Keefe had kissed. _Kissed_. His brain seemed stuck on that, like it could never forget.

Maybe it didn't want to forget.

Because Tam couldn't help but think of all the times he'd noticed perfect Keefe and funny Keefe and annoyingly, irritatingly, good-looking Keefe. Keefe, who was always a ray of sunshine, even when Tam could feel the darkness that swallowed up his insides.

They were opposites, he and him. Keefe wore his heart on his sleeve. He was Keefe, the prankster, the jokester. The laughter when life started getting them all down.

And Tam was just _the Shade_. The brooder. The pessimist. Mysterious on the outside, broken on the inside.

Broken; just like Keefe.

"Tam?"

He was angry at Keefe. Something was wrong with him. He was taking out his heartbreak on, for some reason, him. _Using_ him. Tam didn't like him. He couldn't.

But ice blue eyes...and golden blond hair...and a smirk that always danced across chiseled features...

Tam grabbed a fistful of Keefe's shirt, and before he could utter a word, yanked him down onto his lips.

They were soft, softer than Tam had expected a boy's to be. But it was still _different_. The jaws rubbing together was _different_. Keefe's wide, warm chest was _different_. Strong hands, tangled in his hair and brushing his bangs in his face was so beautifully unique and amazing.

It was nothing like what Tam had imagined kissing Biana would be, but somehow, that was okay with him.

His hand still clutching Keefe's shirt, Tam pushed the blond boy away just a few inches. He could feel Keefe's hot breath fanning his forehead. "I'm not going to be some sort of distraction."

"You're not."

"I don't want to just play around."

"Okay."

"And you can't-"

"Shut up and kiss me again, Bangs Boy."

"Are you sure?"

"More sure than I've ever been before." He cupped a hand under Tam's chin, closing the distance between them.

Was this happening to fast? Was this wrong? What would Linh think? Tam's head was spinning out of control, faster and faster the more Keefe kissed him.

It wasn't life-changing. No bomb dropped. No clock stopped.

But Tam did feel his heart stir, something it hadn't done in years. Keefe always brought out the _emotion_ in him. The anger, the annoyance, the laughter that he kept behind his shadows. So maybe that's why it wasn't so surprising how much he enjoyed kissing Keefe, how he liked having him at his side.

Because Keefe made him feel so alive.


End file.
